Only three years after the city of Kalispell had been surveyed and laid out, the first Bishop of Montana, the Most Reverend J.B. Brondel, in March of 1894, appointed Fr. H.J. Van de Ven of Butte to be its first pastor. In 1895 the first church and rectory was constructed on 4th Avenue and 5th Street. The wood frame building, measuring only 30 by 60 feet, was dedicated under the patronage of St. Matthew the Apostle, by Bishop Brondell on the Feast of the Ascension, May 14, 1895. |
 |
|
During the first few years, the territory for St. Matthew’s Parish was quite extensive and included the missions along the Great Northern Railroad from the Idaho border to Columbia Falls. New missions were quickly formed in Whitefish, Somers, Jennings and Rexford. Eventually parishioners outgrew the small wooden church structure, some say as a direct spiritual result of the parish becoming a mission of the Dubuque Apostolate in 1908. Plans for the construction of a new building were initiated under Father Francis O’Farrell, the pastor who would be the longest serving priest at St. Matthew’s.
Warren G. Conrad, President of the Kalispell Townsite Company, donated the half block of land for the new church. Ground was broken on April 2, 1910 and Bishop Carroll laid the cornerstone on June 5th of that same year. Items placed in the copper box for the cornerstone included a photograph of Bishop Carroll and Father O’Farrell, copies of local papers, a few coins, a small leather-bound Bible, the parish calendar and a small golden cross. On September 2, 1911 the completed church was dedicated by Bishop Carroll. |
 |
|
By 1910, Bishop Carroll had requested that the Sisters of Mercy of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, come to Kalispell to discuss with the Hospital Association and the Chamber of Commerce the possibility of opening a new hospital. In July of 1910, Mother Mary Agatha, formerly Alice Mullany, along with Sisters Nicholas, Vencetia, Philomena and Clement, began the work of planning and constructing the hospital. The hospital was on 5th Avenue East and 7th Street with equipment and furnishings costing over $60,000. It formally opened on May 30, 1912 with Bishop Carroll dedicating the building on May 31st. |
|
Bishop Carroll then requested that the Sisters of Mercy open a Catholic school in Kalispell. Once again, Mother Agatha accepted the challenge and purchased a building and two adjacent lots on the corner of Main and Sixth Streets. A two-story addition and extensive remodeling of that building was completed during the year that followed and St. Matthew’s School was officially opened in 1917 with Sister Mary Barromeo at the helm. St. Matthew’s Parish provided the fuel to heat the building and many women of the parish donated items of food and clothing as well as furniture and money to outfit the school. |
|
St. Matthew’s Church was extensively damaged in February of 1938 by a fire that started in the basement. The ornately sculptured wood altar was destroyed. Damage to the building was listed at almost $10,000. As part of the reconstruction and repair new altars were created and the church was completely redecorated. The structure remained largely unchanged until the 1950’s when the basement was remodeled and made into a parish social center. |
 |
|
Vatican II, which ended in 1965, brought many changes to St. Matthew’s Parish. Among those changes was the remodeling of the sanctuary to meet new liturgical guidelines. The Parish Council was formed, a number of lay committees were established and the lay ministry began to flourish.
We have been richly blessed by the service of lay people to each other and by the many opportunities we have to grow in spirituality through our active involvement our faith community. |
|
